A Pint of Goodness
by Etaleah
Summary: Fubuki liked helping people...until it involved needles. Ryo/Fubuki


**Set post-GX by a year or two with established Ryo/Fubuki.**

"I am not a selfish chicken! I just don't like needles!"

"Don't you mean you're afraid of them?" Ryo asked, annoyed.

"I am not afraid of them, I said I don't like them. There's a difference."

"Well, don't you think you could put your dislike of needles aside just once every couple of months? It would only hurt for a second."

"Yeah, but then you feel all dizzy afterwards."

"Fubuki, it's nothing you can't handle. I promise."

"Why don't you go donate blood if it's so important to you?" Fubuki countered, though he already knew the answer.

"I would if I could, but I can't. My heart can't handle the strain of blood loss."

"You were eligible for at least a year or two before your heart went haywire and you didn't do it then either," Fubuki pointed out.

"So that's your excuse? I should have, okay? And I'll regret not doing it for the rest of my life. But what if everyone was like us? Shou wouldn't be around." Ryo swallowed hard on that last part; it was still hard for him to think about.

Fubuki sighed. "Even if you had donated, Shou still could have had the same problems."

"But maybe he wouldn't have. We're both the same blood type. I could have helped him the way a big brother should. How would you feel if something like that happened to Asuka and you know you could have done something to prevent it but didn't?"

Fubuki clenched a fist. He hated when Ryo pulled on his heartstrings like this. Ever since Shou had barely made it through a car crash a few months ago, Ryo hadn't been the same. He was…fearful now. Every time Fubuki left to go somewhere, Ryo told him to be careful. Every time one of them was away and they talked on the phone, Ryo told Fubuki he loved him before hanging up. It was like Ryo was terrified of losing someone else. Shou had been lucky to come out alive; in fact, he was still laid up in bed with his friends taking care of him in shifts. While he'd been in the hospital, he'd needed a blood transfusion, and the hospital hadn't had the blood type he needed. All the doctors had warned him that he wouldn't make it, not without that blood type. And the only way that blood type would be available was if someone donated it. Out of all Shou's friends and family, Ryo had been the only match, and while he would have gladly given his own life for his brother's, Shou had made it clear that he would not allow that to happen. Ryo still got down on his knees and thanked whoever was up there that an outside donation had come in just in time.

And now Ryo was the world's biggest advocate for donating blood, much to Fubuki's chagrin. And the worst part was, he was right. There really was no excuse for not doing it, unless it was an excuse like Ryo's.

He sighed. There was just no winning this battle, and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to win it anyway. "Alright, I'll go. But I'm not going alone."

"I wouldn't want you to," Ryo replied. He grabbed the car keys off the table. "Let's go."

"Right now?"

"Can you think of a better time?"

"But…don't I have to eat and drink first?"

"You just packed away six trays of sushi, three bowls of ramen and two water bottles. You'll be fine."

"But…well, okay." Fubuki hunched his shoulders and followed Ryo out the door, stomach churning with nervousness.

"You're doing the right thing, Fubuki," Ryo assured him, patting his hand. "Trust me, you're going to be okay."

Fubuki sipped nervously at the fruit juice they'd given him and averted his eyes. He hated this place, with its clean, antiseptic smell and the gloves that everyone wore and the loudly beeping machines. He knew he was being a baby about it, but seeing those long, shiny needles had sent a chill down his spine. He'd agonized over it all through the insanely long health questionnaires and consent forms, and he wished they'd just stick him already and get it over with.

"I'll be right here," Ryo whispered and squeezed his hand. Fubuki didn't say anything, just leaned back and shut his eyes, trying not to think.

"Which arm do you want me to use, sweetie?" the nurse asked. Fubuki quickly looked her over and felt relieved. Maybe it was a stereotype, but he always felt like women had a gentler touch than men. And this woman was just the right age too. Old enough to have plenty of experience and not get distracted by his stunning good looks, but young enough to still care if she hurt him.

"Uh, whichever, I guess."

"Okay. Just relax, honey. I've almost always hit the vein every single time."

Fubuki's eyes shot open and his hand gripped Ryo's arm tightly enough to leave bruises. What the hell did she mean by that? He breathed in slow, deep breaths as she wound the bag around his arm and handed him a small, squishy ball to squeeze to get the veins pumping. He squeezed it so hard he was amazed it didn't crumble in his fingers. She marked the vein's position, and a few seconds later Fubuki caught a flash of silver and instantly felt sick.

"Fubuki, look at me!" Ryo said suddenly. Fubuki whipped his head towards Ryo just in time for a sharp pain to flash through his arm. He shut his eyes and tensed…and then it was gone.

"You did it, Bucky," Ryo beamed, eyes shining. "I'm so proud of you."

Fubuki let out a long, slow breath and smiled, leaning back and rolling the ball between his fingers. "Thanks, Ryo."

"You did great, honey," the nurse smiled. "The hard part's over. Now you can just sit back and relax until you're done." She walked over to a table, but returned shortly with a brochure and handed it to him. "Here, look that over and see what you think."

"Hero Rewards?" he read aloud, puzzled.

"Mhm. Whenever you donate blood, you earn points on your donor account. You can use those points to buy cool stuff, like iPads and whatnot."

"Really?" Fubuki grinned widely at Ryo. "You never told me I could get cool stuff for doing this!"

Ryo frowned. "That's because you don't donate blood for stuff, Fubuki. You do it because people need it and because it's the right thing to do."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But seriously, you should have told me about this. I'd have been over here in a heartbeat. Holy crap, is that a laptop? I'd take a million needles for that."

"Well, you deserve it for being a hero," the nurse told him. "And the more you give, the more points you get. The more points you get, the cooler things you can buy. But the important thing is, you helped save three people just by donating this one time."

"Whoa, look at that digital camera! I'm getting that first."

"And don't forget the lives you save," Ryo reminded him impatiently. "That's kind of important."

"And it even comes with batteries!"

Ryo sighed. "It's good to know where your priorities lie, Fubuki."

The nurse giggled. "As long as he keeps donating, it really doesn't matter what his reason is. Oh, you're just about done."

Fubuki looked up from where he'd been drooling over a flat screen TV and gulped. "Is taking the needle out as painful as putting it in?"

"Worse," Ryo said, winking at the nurse. "They say your skin comes out with it."

"What?" Fubuki cried, trembling.

The nurse gently took hold of the needle. "You can do this, Fubuki. Just close your eyes and take a deep breath." He obeyed, tense, and waited for her to rip the needle out of his arm. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes and looked at her curiously. His mouth dropped open when he saw that the needle was out of his arm and in her hand.

"H-how'd you do that?"

"I just took the needle out, that's all."

"But I didn't feel a thing! Ryo said my skin would come off."

"Ryo also said you looked good in that shirt at the mall," Ryo teased. Fubuki glared at him and whacked him with his good arm.

"So does this mean we're done and I can go?" Fubuki asked, squirming impatiently.

"Just relax for a minute and let your body recuperate. Here, have a snack." The nurse handed him a rice cake, which he gratefully took and began to munch happily.

"In all honesty, Fubuki, I can't thank you enough for doing this," Ryo squeezed his hand. "And I'm sure the people who receive your blood will be really grateful."

"Don't try to butter me up, Ryo," Fubuki said with a mouth full of rice cake. "That digital camera is mine!"

Ryo sighed and shook his head, but he couldn't hold back a smile. At least his boyfriend knew the joy of giving.

**A/N: Seriously guys, donate blood. I actually wrote this right after I donated so it would be fresh in my mind, so if you've never donated before, that's pretty much how it goes. And the Hero Rewards thing is real, and so are all the prizes listed. So if you're materialistic like Fubuki and helping others isn't enough for you, there's your motivation. ;)**


End file.
